The present invention relates to an intervertebral prosthetic device for stabilizing the human spine.
Spinal discs that extend between adjacent vertebrae in vertebral columns of the human body provide critical support between the adjacent vertebrae. These discs can rupture, degenerate, and/or protrude by injury, degradation, disease, or the like to such a degree that the intervertebral space between adjacent vertebrae collapses as the disc loses at least a part of its support function, which can cause impingement of the nerve roots and severe pain.
In these cases, intervertebral prosthetic devices have been designed that can be implanted between the adjacent vertebrae, both anterior and posterior of the column, to prevent the collapse of the intervertebral space between the adjacent vertebrae and thus stabilize the spine.
However, many of these devices are relatively stiff, and, as such, cannot flex to better accommodate the vertebrae and do not provide a sufficient amount of shock absorption. Also, many of these devices, when implanted, suffer from a relatively high fatigue.